Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Are Investors Undervaluing Volkswagen (VWAGY) Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Here at Zacks, our focus is on the proven Zacks Rank system, which emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find great stocks. Nevertheless, we are always paying attention to the latest value, growth, and momentum trends to underscore strong picks.

Of these, perhaps no stock market trend is more popular than value investing, which is a strategy that has proven to be successful in all sorts of market environments. Value investors use a variety of methods, including tried-and-true valuation metrics, to find these stocks.

Luckily, Zacks has developed its own Style Scores system in an effort to find stocks with specific traits. Value investors will be interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with both "A" grades in the Value category and high Zacks Ranks are among the strongest value stocks on the market right now.

One stock to keep an eye on is Volkswagen (VWAGY - Free Report) . VWAGY is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and an A for Value. The stock holds a P/E ratio of 5.40, while its industry has an average P/E of 9.29. Over the last 12 months, VWAGY's Forward P/E has been as high as 10.36 and as low as 4.59, with a median of 8.53.

Another valuation metric that we should highlight is VWAGY's P/B ratio of 0.55. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This stock's P/B looks solid versus its industry's average P/B of 0.93. Over the past 12 months, VWAGY's P/B has been as high as 1.09 and as low as 0.50, with a median of 0.85.

Finally, our model also underscores that VWAGY has a P/CF ratio of 1.91. This metric focuses on a firm's operating cash flow and is often used to find stocks that are undervalued based on the strength of their cash outlook. VWAGY's current P/CF looks attractive when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 4.76. Over the past 52 weeks, VWAGY's P/CF has been as high as 3.48 and as low as 1.73, with a median of 2.84.

These figures are just a handful of the metrics value investors tend to look at, but they help show that Volkswagen is likely being undervalued right now. Considering this, as well as the strength of its earnings outlook, VWAGY feels like a great value stock at the moment.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Volkswagen AG Unsponsored ADR (VWAGY) - free report >>

Published in